Destiny's Hand: A Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Fanfic
by Pokebreeder123
Summary: Krista was an ordinary human... that is, until she woke up on that fateful day as a Pokemon! Join Krista and her newfound partner as they quest together as a rescue team, not only save Pokemon in need, but to solve the mystery of Krista's transformation!
1. Chapter 1

Prologue: The Cursing

A shadowy creature padded through the dense trees of the forest, eyes occasionally glimmering in the bits of moonlight that shone through the thick leaves and branches. She looked like a gigantic fox, but with nine tails that she held behind her in a plume, and light colored fur, though it was turned black by the darkness.

She tilted her snout up, mouth opened slightly, tasting the air for any scents, and then lowered it again. _Human scent, on top of everything else_, she thought. _But I suppose that is not unusual. They are everywhere, these days. Not like when I was a kit and they were as sparse as any creatures._

Giving a throaty, but somewhat feminine laugh to herself, she continued on her trek through the undergrowth. She was near her destination, but not quite there yet. There would be at least another mile to go, she calculated, at this speed. She would be there much before daybreak, however.

A noisy rustling broke out nearby, and the fox paused, listening for further noise, but only a small and purple rat-like creature romped out of the bushes and plants, crossing the fox's path a few yards behind her.

_Of course… only a Rattata, nothing else. _She sniffed the air again. _Nothing new but the rat._

She pinpointed a small path that was much less densely grown over, and leapt over a few bushes, landing neatly on it. "This will be much faster!" she hissed under her breath, and resumed her journey at a much brisker pace.

A few minutes later, she stopped once again. _Foolish, to get this close to me…_ She was about to look for the source of the noise, but immediately stopped with a growl. Something was holding on to one of her tails!

Slowly, she turned herself to see what was holding onto her. "Just as I thought," she said. Her voice was clear, and feminine, like a woman's. "I knew you were following me, but I did not think you would dare try something like this, Human." A human… she couldn't tell what gender it was; all humans looked alike to her, unless they were of some importance to her personally… was grasping onto her tail, with a small smirk on its face.

"So? Wait until my friends hear this! I managed to grab onto Ninetails' tail and live to tell about it." it laughed, still keeping a hold on Ninetails.

"Oh, really?" Ninetails questioned, and even though she had done nothing, and her voice was still calm, not angry sounding, suddenly, the human felt fear as it looked into her eyes, which were staring with a cold iciness at it. "Have you never heard about what has happened to those who have grabbed my tail, especially the ninth, and most powerful of them?"

"Well… legends, but they can't be true. Curses are silly myths…," the human replied, though they did not sound so sure of themselves now.

"They are, foolish child," Ninetails laughed, "and do you think that this would not apply to you, have you not been warned against upsetting a powerful Poke'mon such as me?"

With that, Ninetails easily drew its tail from the human's hand, and spread them all out straight up in a fan. On the tip of each, an eerie blue flame formed, crackling and sparking, though none of it singed the fox's fur.

The human gave a cry, and backed up against a large tree, but Ninetails slowly stepped forward, not about to let this disgrace of a creature escape from its punishment.

Just as she was about to unleash the flames, she heard something running over the ground towards the two. A white and green blur leapt in between them, shielding the human from the flames, which all circled around the thing, trapping it inside, with an icy burning.

The human screamed, and sprinted away as fast as it could, leaving Ninetails and the thing that had protected the intended target. "Gardevoir…" Ninetails remarked. "How brave of you it is, to try to save your human friend when he clearly was the one deserving of it, not you."

Gardevoir did not reply, as the curse and the pain of the flames were keeping her silent.

Ninetails turned to where the human was running. "Do you not wish to save your friend, the one who has helped you so many times, and has now most probably saved your life?"

The human did not reply, it just continued to get as far away as possible, until the sounds of the crashing through the forest died away.

Ninetails looked to the sky, where the moon shone pale, and the stars glimmered. "Selfish, stupid thing, that human is…" she sighed. She turned to Gardevoir. "I will not kill the human, or attempt to curse it again. Your sacrifice was enough, though I am still enraged with the child for being foolish enough to try to grab my tail, and to even brag about how he was going to get away with it."

Then, she looked back up. "I regret to say that I cannot help you, though. I can give a curse, but they are not as easily removed… and anyways, it would not be a fair trade to let you out, and also let the human go. However…"

She began to speak, a faint sparkle coming to her red eyes. "Soon, this human shall be reborn as a Poke'mon, and then… the destruction of the realm shall begin…"

Giving one last look at Gardevoir, she turned back around and disappeared into the shadows once more…


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One: Awakening

_"Wake up… come on, get up… are you okay?"_

"Umfh…" she muttered as her eyes fluttered open. "Whassat?"

Someone was standing over her… but not someone normal, by the looks of it, though her vision was so blurry that she couldn't really tell whether it was just her, or not.

"Where am I?" she asked. Her head hurt, and she felt woozy. Looking to her sides, she saw that she was outside. "How did I get out here?"

"I don't know," the person that was standing over her said. The voice was definitely male, though not too deep, sounding like a kid of about thirteen or so. "I just found you here, unconscious on the ground, and started trying to wake you up!"

_Unconscious,_ she wondered. _When did this…?_ She thought back, trying to remember what had happened. However, not only was her sight fuzzy, apparently, but so was her brain, because she couldn't remember almost anything…

Her vision was becoming more focused now, and as she looked carefully at the stranger, she saw that it wasn't a person at all. At least, not in the normal sense… it was…

"A Charmander?" she gaped. "Bu-but you're talking!" She snapped her head up to get a better look.

"Sure I am…" the Charmander replied, brow raised in a surprised expression.

"So?"

"But you're… a Poke'mon!"

"You're a Poke'mon too, and you're talking, Cubone…" Charmander said coolly. Then, he laughed. "Evidently you took a pretty good bump to the head, stranger, no matter how well protected by that skull it is."

She froze. "Cu-cubone?" she repeated. "What are you talking about? I'm a human!" She could remember that much, at least. She was human girl of thirteen… and nothing very specific came after that.

"Right…" Charmander's expression looked skeptical. "You really must have gotten hurt. Take a look at yourself, if you want proof, Cubone."

She stood up, unsteady legs wobbling a bit. The Charmander was about her height, which definitely wasn't normal. Looking down, she saw two stubby legs each ending in a large blunt claw. Her skin was dirt brown, lighter around her stomach, and by the ground there was a long bone that looked a bit like a club.

Strangely, this did not panic her anymore… it almost felt… right. Calmly turning around, she scanned her surroundings. She was in a forest, by the looks of it, but in a cleared, grassy path that ran into a straight line towards the shore of a small lake, which she plodded over to, and looked onto, seeing her reflection. Most of her face was obscured by a white skull that covered it like a helmet, with a large eyehole, and ending at the top in two short and squared-off horns.

_So, it's true,_ she thought. _I've turned into a Cubone._ For some reason, she liked this. She had always wondered what it would be like to slip out of her skin and into a Poke'mon's, she realized (some things were clear enough, such as old emotions, but specific memories just slipped out of the grasp of her mind) and now it seemed that she had wished hard enough that it had happened. It wasn't bad at all, so far…

She walked back over to the Charmander. "Okay, so I'm a Poke'mon."

"Told you," Charmander replied amusedly. "Anyways, I haven't seen you in these parts. What's your name, Cubone?"

_My name…_ she thought. "Úh," she began. _Think Krista, think! Wait, that's it!_

"My name is Krista." She finished, relieved that she could remember this snippet of information.

"That's a strange name…" Charmander said with a hint of a snicker. "Funny sounding, actually."

"It's a perfectly normal name for a human." Krista growled. "Don't suppose you'd tell me yours, then?"

"Here we go again with the human thing…" the Charmander muttered under his breath. "Sorry," he then laughed. "I couldn't help myself. My name's Flamechar."

"Your name sounds sort of funny as well…" Krista couldn't help commenting.

"It's a perfectly normal name for a Charmander!" Flamechar countered, quoting my previous retort. Then, he brightened. "So, where are you from?"

Before Krista could even try to reply to this, a loud shriek sounded from somewhere out in the woods, echoing through the area. "SOMEBODY PLEASE, HEEEEEELP!"

Both Krista and Flamechar jumped, startled by the sudden noise, and whipped around in all directions, trying to pinpoint the origin of it. They didn't have to wait wrong. A Poke'mon that resembled a purple butterfly with white wings flew out of the trees at high speed, stopping immediately when she saw the other two Poke'mon staring at her.

"Butterfree!" Flamechar cried. "What's going on?"

Butterfree was stuttering as she explained, seemingly crying, though it was hard for Krista to tell, considering her eyes were compound like many insects. "I-I was taking my little Caterpie f-for an afternoon p-playing in these woods… it's almost a-always safe, you see…" she began. "T-then, out of absolutely _nowhere,_ a h-huge fissure o-opened up in the g-g-ground, and my little Caterpie fell in, and… and I'm just so afraid for my son… it's so dangerous in there…"

"Did you try to get Caterpie out?" Flamechar asked concernedly.

"Y-yes," Butterfree sniffed, "but I couldn't fit, as the opening was sealed most of the way by a b-bunch of boulders when another Poke'mon spotted me and attacked… it missed, but hit the wall, and…"

Flamechar nodded. Then, with a thoughtful look on his face, he turned to Krista. "What say you we help Butterfree out? We'd be like a real rescue team!" His eyes shone with an excited light that she had not yet seen on his face, and she rather liked that wild look.

"Rescue team?" she echoed, not knowing in the least bit what he meant. "I have no idea what that's supposed to be, but I'll help, I suppose."

"Great!" Flamechar cried. "Butterfree, we'll go and find Caterpie for you! Just show us the way, and we'll do the rest!"

* * *

Just in case anyone was wondering, this is based loosely after my own Blue Rescue Team. Krista and Flamechar were my partner and I there too... but besides following what happened in the game to a good extent, I added a lot of my own content, of course, or it would be rather bland, and more predictable than it already is, considering that it's based on a video game.


	3. Chapter Two

I know that the first two chapters are uuber short, but it gets a bit longer from here on so far. =D

* * *

Chapter Two: The First Rescue

Krista and Flamechar plodded along. They were inside of the fissure, searching for the missing Caterpie. The fissure had ended up leading to a cave of sorts. Some of their surroundings weren't dark, as the place was dimly lit with the light from the flame on Flamechar's tail, and occasionally small holes in the roof of the cave were providing sunlight too, but ahead of them nothing visible was present but blackness.

"Strange, isn't it?" Flamechar remarked. "I have a feeling that we may eventually find an opening. This seems more like a tunnel than a true cave or dungeon. If we follow it to the end, we might get to the surface, and that may be where Caterpie has wandered to.

"Maybe…" Krista replied, though she wasn't listening too hard to what the Charmander was saying. She was trying to find any more memories of her old life, trying to piece things together. Nothing so far was really turning up, however.

The cave was eerily silent, except for the occasional drip of water running off of the stalactites. Flamechar eventually struck up a conversation to help pass the time. "So, you claim to be a human?" he asked, with no smirk this time, but genuine curiosity.

"Yes, I am…" Krista hoped that he would eventually believe her if she was going to be stuck with him for this little expedition.

"Okay… so what was it like?"

"That's the problem…" Krista sighed. "I just can't remember almost anything from before you found me on the ground… I remember my name, the fact that I am… was, human, and a few other facts."

Flamechar grimaced. "That sounds like no fun. You can't even remember how you got there?"

"Nope. I can remember though that I had wished very hard that I was a Poke'mon, sometimes. Maybe that's why… I always had compared myself to things such as a Cubone, or a Lucario…" She then commented "Poke'mon couldn't talk or anything where I came from. I wonder if it's because now I am one, or if maybe this is a whole 'nother place, a whole other world…"

The pair continued on their conversation for awhile, though it didn't lead to much. It was mainly small talk, and Flamechar asking about any memories that she might have retained.

"What's that rescue team thing you mentioned earlier?" Krista asked after awhile.

Flamechar laughed. "You really mustn't be a Poke'mon, or not from this world, if you don't know that. Rescue teams are what they sound like: teams of Poke'mon to go rescue others who get lost, or injured, or maybe even want an item delivered to them. Some even just want to go exploring, or have an escort through these mystery dungeons. There have been a lot of strange natural disasters lately, too, which means that rescue teams are even more in demand then they were before."

"Mystery dungeons?"

"Mystery dungeons are strange caves, and forests, and whatnot that are different almost every time you enter them. No one knows what causes them, but they're confusing, because every time you go into one, the layout or paths have shuffled around, so it's easy to get lost. Rescue teams' main jobs are usually going to find lost Poke'mon in these places."

_I wonder if that's what we're going to find…_ Krista wondered. _A mystery dungeon…_

********************

Flamechar's prediction ended up true, as before long the two spotted sunlight streaming through a medium-sized hole that was up a sloping path. "Look, the surface!" he said triumphantly. "Caterpie's probably up there somewhere!"

They quickened their pace, and squeezed out onto the surface. They were surrounded by forest once more, though it seemed a bit different from where Krista had been woken up. It was a bit darker, and had a more dangerous air to it.

"Ah, so it leads to Tiny Woods!" Flamechar was looking around, trying to get a bearing of where they were. "This complicates things a bit, but it shouldn't be _too_ difficult."

Krista suddenly realized something that gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, though she still remained calm. It must have been Cubone instinct or something, but either way…

"Flamechar," she muttered, prodding him in the side. "Butterfree told us that there was a Poke'mon that drove her off, but we haven't encountered anything. Do you think that whatever was there is after Caterpie?"

Flamechar gulped. "I don't know, but it could be! We'd better get moving!"

They dashed off, alert for any rustling in the trees and bushes, and listening for any voices, but most was silent except for the crashing of their feet over the brush on the paths. Occasionally they ran into a few Poke'mon, but most were not hostile in the least bit. None had seen Caterpie, however, out of those that had spoken to them.

They had gotten a ways in, when suddenly, Krista stopped. "You hear that?" she asked. She had heard some Poke'mon's cry, though she wasn't sure what sort it was.

Flamechar stiffened up. "Look in that tree…" he whispered. Krista did as he said, and narrowed her eyes. Something was staring at them with gleaming black eyes, and something about it didn't look friendly.

Whatever it was let out a cry that sounded identical to the one she had heard, and now it rang in her mind loud and clear. "Kakuna! Look out!" she shouted, pushing Flamechar to the side. A barrage of small, deep purple pins coming from the thing in the tree had narrowly missed them.

"Thanks…" Flamechar panted. "Kakuna… those are nasty if you're not careful. But I can take care of this!"

Flamechar opened his mouth, and with precision aim let loose a flame towards the Kakuna, which fell to the ground and did not move. A couple of others also followed. "Good thing I took precautions and gave them a few more Embers, or we might have been in trouble."

Krista nodded, impressed that he had been able to take care of the enemies without burning the tree to the ground. "Still, we should get out of here just in case there are more…" she murmured, and the pair pressed on their trek.

Once they had put a lot of distance between them and the Kakuna, they kept up a steady pace, calling out "Caterpie," every so often. Krista wondered just how deep these woods could get, as they had been traveling for at least an hour by now with no sign of the little Poke'mon anywhere.

Flamechar suddenly stopped, which Krista only noticed after a few seconds. "What's wrong?" she asked, but her question was answered by a growl of the Charmander's stomach.

"Hungry…" Flamechar panted. "We should find something that might fill us up a bit, at least. Let's look for some berries, or apples, or something."

The two Poke'mon scavenged in the surrounding areas, careful not to wander too far back and lose their way, and after a few minutes, Flamechar called "Look here, Krista!"

Krista scampered to where Flamechar was waiting, a fresh shiny red apple held in his hand. Several more were still hanging from a tree a few feet away, and a few were on the ground as well.

"One of these should last us for awhile!" he exclaimed happily. "Go ahead, grab one!"

Krista reached up, but couldn't manage to get a hold on any of the fruits. Even the lowest hanging ones seemed to be out of her grasp. "How did you get yours?" she asked, frowning, since Flamechar wasn't really any taller than she was.

"Easy," he replied, and breathed out a small flame. A large apple tumbled to the ground, but it broke in half upon reaching the ground, as it hit the roots and the impact split it.

"Crud…" he sighed. "I caught mine, see. I could get you one, though…"

"Wait," Krista told him. She was eyeing the club of a bone that she had been unconsciously holding in her hand. "Let me try something."

Taking careful aim at one apple that appealed to her, she let loose her bone with a mighty throw, and it flew up towards the food, but fell short, only just tapping it.

She uttered a quiet curse under her breath, retrieving the bone, and attempted to bring down the prize again. No luck the second time around, either. After a third try, she sighed. "Okay, Flamechar, help me out here. Evidently I'm not high-leveled enough to be able to master this thing."

Flamechar shrugged, and knocked down the apple with his flame, burning through the stem, and Krista caught it (rather clumsily) as it fell this time. "Lots of practice," Flamechar explained.

After munching on it for a bit, she finished it of with a big bite. "Should we take one each with us?" she asked, privately thinking at this rate they might, with the rotten luck they'd been having.

"Nah," Flamechar shook his head. "We don't have any room to carry anything else with us, and who knows what we might find that may be more useful. Let's travel light."

********************

"This is sort of creepy…" Krista whispered.

They were deep into Tiny Woods, or so it seemed, and around them on the trees and bushes there were… _webs_. Spider webs, large ones, stuck everywhere. The smaller ones were at least as large as them, while the bigger were as tall as the things they stuck to. What worried them weren't the webs themselves, but who had made these gargantuan things.

"I've never seen such huge spider-webs…" she breathed. "I wonder how large the thing that made them was."

"I'm pretty sure that they're just Spinarak that have grouped up here." Flamechar sighed. "Let's not get worked up about it, and just keep looking. We've gone through nearly the whole forest by now, I'd think, though it's hard to tell. If Caterpie's here at all, we'll probably be finding him soon."

"I hope so."

They kept on moving, marveling occasionally at a particularly stunning cobweb, until Krista suddenly stopped, pointing straight ahead. "Look at that!"

An absolutely enormous version of what they had been seeing was stuck between two trees, blocking the path ahead. "That's the biggest one yet!" Flamechar gasped. He and Krista slowly walked up to it until they were nearly touching it. "Careful," the Charmander warned. "It could be really sticky… you never know."

Nodding, Krista looked up to the top of the web. She thought that she saw a large purple and yellow striped leg, skinny and long, by at the corner of it, but she blinked and it was gone. "Flamechar?" she muttered nervously. "What was that?"

"What was wha-" he began to reply, but he was cut off. A fine spray of white string came from the top of one tree to which the web was connected, striking Flamechar straight in the mouth. It quickly hardened, while he let out a muffled cry, trying to pull it off.

"What the-" Krista shouted, looking carefully at the gag. "Silk!" She looked up to the source of the silk. An orange spider-like Poke'mon was perched on the web, staring straight at the two who had invaded its territory, an Ariados, by the looks of it.

"More tasty snacks that walk right into my lair?" it hissed. "They shall make a nice main course, with that worm of a Caterpie for dessert, they shall."

"Caterpie?" Krista echoed. "You've got him, then? Please, Ariados, give him back! His mother asked us to come and rescue him. Let us take him and leave in peace, please, and we'll never disturb you again."

"Takes him and leaves me in peace? And pass up a perfectly good meal, you say? Why should I?"

From up in the tree where Ariados had hid, a small, whimpering "Please help…" came. A small Poke'mon wriggled into view.

"Caterpie!" Krista called.

Flamechar let out an angry "_MMMMMMRPH!_" and with a big breath, burned away the silk that he had been working at tearing off. "Let Caterpie go, or you'll have to answer to us!" he growled.

"Answer to you, you say? I think not, I think. You fight me, I make you a snack. How's that sound?"

With that, it let out another burst of silk, this time aimed at Krista. "Look out!" Flamechar yelled, and shoved her out of the way. The blast hit him again, but his head was free this time. His arms were bound to his side from it, though. "Now we're even." he called weakly.

Krista ran over to him. "You okay?" she asked.

"Fine, just please help me up…" he groaned.

Krista stood him up, and glared at Ariados. "Fine, then, you've just made your decision." she hissed. However, a voice at the back of her mind seemed to say _But how will you fight him if you can't even whack an apple down from a tree with this bone? _She ignored it, though, and tensed herself for any more incoming attacks.

Flamechar hopped forward, letting out a small breath of fire, which seared at the Ariados' exoskeleton. "Ember!"

The Ariados screeched, and blindly let out a shot of Poison Sting. Krista narrowly dodged to the side, and Flamechar rolled just out of the way.

"Come on, Krista, you have to try!" Flamechar called.

"But…" she began to reply, but then she saw the absolutely petrified look on Caterpie's fearful face. _He's right… I have to at least attempt to…_

Lifting her bone, she suddenly could imagine the spiders' head as a large apple like the one she had tried to knock off of the tree earlier. Without even giving it a thought, she let loose her weapon, and hoped dearly for the best…

The bone arced through the air, flying almost in slow motion, it seemed, too slow for Krista. _WHACK!_

Everything returned to normal speed as the bone collided hard with Ariados' head. It let out an anguished hiss, shaking as it stood for a moment longer, and crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Krista stood, stunned. She had done it… Silently, she stepped forward to retrieve the bone. Walking over to Flamechar, she wordlessly used the sharper end of her bone to slit through the silk, freeing his arms.

Flamechar ran under the tree branch on top of which Caterpie was shaking. "Jump!" he called. "I'll catch you!"

"A-are you sure that he's not going to wake up and…" it stuttered, eying Ariados with fear still.

"He won't hurt you. Now, come on."

Caterpie hesitated for a bit more, and then leapt down from the tree. Flamechar scrambled and caught him. "Oomph!" He set him down gently. "Are you okay?" he asked kindly.

"F-fine…" Caterpie sighed. "Where's my mamma? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. But she's worried, so we should get you back to her."

Krista looked on at all of this without a sound. Flamechar turned to her then, brow raised.

"What's wrong, Krista? Skitty got your tongue?"

"Nothing… I'm fine…" she sighed. She really didn't know what was going on. Maybe it was awe at the improvement of her attacks, or maybe it was something else. She just couldn't put her finger on it, though.

"Okay… though hey, seems like you know Bone Club now!" Flamechar then exclaimed happily. "That's great!"

"Yeah," Krista replied, looking up. She felt brighter now, with Flamechar's enthusiasm getting her spirits up.

"Come on, now. Let's head back and find Butterfree so she knows that Caterpie is safe."

* * *

The battle scene was short, but... I can't type them out to be very long unless there's some kind of good filler for the moves. Eheheh... but I'm improving with that matter, so hopefully they'll be better in the future. xP


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three: Mission Success!

"My baby!"

Butterfree flew forward quickly when she saw the three coming out of the fissure, landing and wrapping her wings around Caterpie. "You saved him, both of you! How can I thank you enough!"

"It was no trouble, ma'am." Flamechar was blushing a bit at the praise Butterfree was giving them. "We're just glad that he's okay, that's all."

"Yeah, it was no problem." Krista was thinking more deeply than that, though. _The delighted smiles on their faces… and the satisfaction of knowing that we were the ones that helped them out… that's worth it alone._

"Oh, but I must give you something for your troubles…" she insisted. She then put a few berries at their feet. "I'm afraid that this is all we have, but I hope it's enough…"

"You don't need to give us anything," Flamechar and Krista both protested.

"You two are so kind," Butterfree laughed. "But no, you two deserve it. Now, we must be going." She looked at Caterpie. "Thank the two nice Poke'mon, Caterpie."

"Thanks so much, Flamechar, Krista!" Caterpie beamed. "When I get older, I want to be just like you two! On a rescue team!"

"Oh, we're not on a rescue team…" Flamechar replied, his smile faltering for a second. Then, it was back. "But that's a good job to try to live up to if you want to be on one, Caterpie."

Then, Butterfree and her son turned around, and they disappeared into the woods.

"That worked out well." Krista remarked once they were gone. "They seemed really happy at the end there…"

"Yeah," Flamechar seemed deep in thought. He sighed, nodded to himself, and then faced Krista with a shining look in his eye that Krista had never seen.

"You fought really well out there, and you seem so brave, and all… and I've been thinking…"

"What?"

Flamechar's words came out in a fast, nervous jumble. "Wouldyouliketoformarescueteamwithme?"

"What?" Krista repeated.

"Wou-would you like to form a rescue team with me?"

Krista was surprised. Thinking about it, she actually quite liked the idea. The problem was, she was still unsure what she would do about the whole human-Poke'mon situation to begin with. "Well…"

"You're not from this world, as you say. You don't have anywhere to stay that means, do you? I know somewhere…" Flamechar was looking somewhat downcast, seeing that she was hesitating.

Krista sighed. What he said was true; she didn't have anywhere to stay. And helping Poke'mon that were in trouble like they had just done was an appealing prospect as well. It all added up, and she could at least join until she could solve this mystery of becoming a Poke'mon, for a mystery it certainly was.

"Fine. I'll join this rescue team." she concluded, smiling at Flamechar.

"Great! You're team leader, that means."

"O-okay…"

"Now, let me take you to where you can stay!" Flamechar exclaimed. "It'll be our team base!" With that, he took her hand and hurried her along to wherever he was taking her.

********************

"Okay, here we are!"

The sun had nearly set by the time Flamechar stopped dragging Krista to their destination.

They were on a four way dirt path. To the left was more trail, behind them was the woods, to the right was some sort of bridge, and some sort of plaza or square by the looks of it, and up ahead…

Krista looked over the structure that Flamechar was pointing at. "Wow…" she breathed. It was a large house-like thing, but it was shaped somewhat like a dome, and was made out of a bunch of large boulders stuck together. It had two windows on the front, and a small stone wall surrounded it like a fence. A small pool of water was in front of the house, along with a flagpole with a white strip feebly flying at the top, and a mailbox at the front of the path leading up to the door, which was a slab of rock rolled in front of the entrance.

"I never knew Poke'mon were such good architects…" she commented. Something stirred inside of her seeing this home… it just seemed perfect. Maybe it was the Poke'mon in her telling her that, but either way…

"You like it?" Flamechar exclaimed happily. "I knew you would! Now, why don't you go inside and get some rest?"

"Okay…" Krista replied, suddenly feeling weary, and thinking that a rest sounded like the best thing in the world right now.

She stepped up the path, moving over the slab, and looking back at Flamechar. "You coming in?"

"Nah," Flamechar replied. "I've got my own place that way." He pointed to the left path. "That's called a friend area. If you own some land up there, you can stay there. I prefer it up there anyways. All of this rock…" he finished, shaking his head at the structure.

"Fine then. See you in the morning?" Krista asked.

"Sure. I'll show you Poke'mon Square tomorrow, and we can apply for a rescue team permit there."

Krista suddenly thought of something. Flamechar knew she was human, but what would happen if any other Poke'mon did? She didn't exactly think it would be a welcome prospect, at least if humans were known to capture Poke'mon like she had always known it to be. "Flamechar," she began.

"What?"

"Can you keep the whole human thing a secret? Please?"

Flamechar looked at her in a way that made her feel like she could count on him to do this as long as it was needed. "Yes. I think that's probably a good idea, at least for now." he replied. "You needn't worry. I wasn't planning on spreading this to begin with. Now, good night, Krista."

"Okay, good night!" Krista called, and shut the door, stepping inside her new home. It was somewhat simple, with the only "furniture" being a stone table near a window, which had a basket full of small apples on it, and a straw bed. This was fine by her, though, since it didn't need to be fancy to be comfortable.

With a contented sigh, she plodded over to the bed, and curled up. Sleep soon washed over her like a black flood.

********************

_She was alone… in a misty nothingness… alone…_

_"Where am I?" she thought. "Am I… am I dreaming?"_

_Blearily looking around, she couldn't really see anything at all but fog. She was dimly aware that there was bright light in her surroundings, but it did nothing to let her see…_

_A presence… "Who are you?" she called, seeing the faint silhouette emblazoned against the mist. "Who are you…?"_

_The figure seemed to nod, and suddenly the thick fog dissipated. She was bathed in the blinding shining of her surroundings. "Wait! Why am I here?" She was sure that this figure knew the answer to everything, but of how she knew that she was unsure of._

_This shadow of a figure that was impossible to make out began to fade. "Don't go! Come back!"_

_The light began to fade away, until nothing but blackness was left anymore. Echoing in her ears, a whispered voice seemed to let out with its last breath, "Destiny calls…"_

********************

Krista woke up the next morning feeling somewhat refreshed, but a lingering unease seemed to follow her into the waking world. "What was that all about…" she muttered, thinking of the dream she had seen last night. It was a bit hazy, and she could only just piece together most of what had happened.

"I wonder if Flamechar's awake yet?" she wondered aloud, stepping off of the straw bed. Dim light streamed through the windows as she stretched her arms, picked up the bone that had lain beside where she had slept, and walked out to the path.

"Flamechar?" The Charmander was dozing, sprawled flat out on the path. "Wake up!" Krista called, poking him with her bone.

"Whassat?" Flamechar mumbled blearily. Then, face turning reddish (or more so than usual, anyways), he quickly stood up. "Eheheh… Good morning!" he laughed.

"How long have you been sleeping there?" Krista asked wryly.

"I've actually been waiting for you to get up since dawn…" Flamechar admitted. "No matter, though. Come on, let's check that mailbox!"

"What about it?"

"I was so impatient to get that request sent out to the Rescue Team Association that I went to the Pelipper Post Office and got it mailed last night. I want to see whether they got it yet!"

Krista gave a chuckle. At least Flamechar was enthusiastic. If she was honest with herself, she was pretty hyped about this now herself. The two ran up to the mailbox. "Go on, open it!" Flamechar exclaimed, hopping from one foot to the other with impatience. Krista pulled it open, and reached inside.

"I've got something…" she grunted, and pulled out a large package.

"That's it, that's it!" Flamechar yelled, snatching the package and tearing it open. Inside was a bag, two small bundles, and a white envelope with an emblem on it that looked like a bicolor egg with wings, almost. Krista took the envelope first, and slit it open. There was a letter inside. She beckoned to Flamechar, and then read it aloud:

_"Dear Krista and Flamechar,_

_We, the RTA, are glad to see that we have new, eager Poke'mon ready to help with the cause of aiding and helping others. We have accepted your application, and have provided a starter kit for all of the basic gear you will need._

_We have provided two badges and an item bag, and a sum of 1000 Poke' to get you started. Please send to the address on the back of the letter the desired name of your rescue team._

_You may begin work immediately, and good luck to you both. When you complete any jobs or rescue requests, you will receive rescue points. After obtaining a certain level of rescue points, you shall be promoted in rank. You begin as a Normal Rank rescue team. Aim for the bronze rank first!_

_Sincerely,_

_The Rescue Team Association_

_(-)_

_Helping all who sound a call"_

"Okay…" Flamechar looked deep in thought. "What should we name our team?"

"Uh…" Krista hadn't thought about this in the least bit. "Team Poke'blast?"

"Nah, too generic. What about Team Blaze?"

"You're the only fire type Poke'mon among us two, Flamechar…"

"You have a better idea?" Flamechar laughed.

Krista focused, then her eyes widened. "I've got it! How about we call ourselves… Team Nightstar!"

"Team… Nightstar?" Flamechar asked, surprised. "What's that supposed to mean…?"

"I'm not sure," Krista admitted, "but I like the sound of it."

Flamechar sat on this idea for a minute or so, and then he smiled. "You know what? So do I." he replied. "Team Nightstar it is!"

"Now, where should we mail this?" Krista asked.

"First, let's write our answer on the back of this…" Flamechar began, running into the base, coming back out with a pen of some sort, and scribbling something on the back of the letter. "Now we mail it at the Pelipper Post Office. I need to show you Poke'mon Square anyways, so let's go and I'll give you the grand tour while we're on our way!"

"Okay!' Krista agreed, and the two set off down the path to the right.

********************

"Here we are!" Flamechar told Krista. The two had crossed a bridge down the path, and now Flamechar stepped aside to reveal a large, bustling square! Shops made of wood and straw seemed to line the street (which again ran four ways off of the Square), and Poke'mon were clustered in the middle of the Square, and at the shops, chatting and shopping for supplies.

"This is awesome!" Krista beamed. She had never seen so many Poke'mon in one place before!

Stopping in front of a shop where two Kecleon peered out from behind the counter, Flamechar said "This is the Kecleon Brothers' shop. They sell your basic goods that all rescue teams need."

One Kecleon was green, and the other was oddly purple, an unusual sight. "Welcome to our shop!" they said in unison. "I've never seen you around here," the green one commented, eying Krista. "But we always like new customers!" finished the purple one. "I'm Keck, and he's Leon." the green one explained.

"He specializes in stuff like apples, seeds, Gravelerocks, and that sort of thing, while he likes to sell Orbs and TMs." Flamechar pointed in turn to the Keck, and then Leon. "Now let's move on." The two took off further into the Square.

"Come back later, Flamechar, and…" Keck started to call.

"Krista!" she yelled behind her.

"Yes!" the purple brother added. "We're still opening up for the day, but we heard you two started a rescue team, so if you need it, we've got it!"

"Krista… strange name…" the green Kecleon muttered. Krista heard him as they left, and shook her head, muttering something.

They next arrived at the Square itself. "This is the Square," Flamechar told Krista. "Poke'mon often gather here to share news and the like." Indicating up the north path, he said "That's the pond where Elder Whiscash stays. I don't think that we need to go up there quite yet."

A pink, almost bulldog-like Poke'mon scrambled up to them. "Hey Flamechar… who's this?" he asked.

"This is my new friend, Krista." he replied. "We've formed a rescue team together!"

"Wow… pretty cool," the Poke'mon replied.

"That's Snubble. He's alright, though sometimes a little strange."

"…But not as cool as those guys, not in a million years!" Snubble finished, pointing to a trio of Poke'mon huddled at the far end of the Square. Singling each of them out, she saw that they were an Alakazam, a Tyranitar, and a Charizard, all talking to each other in a serious manner about something.

"Oh my…" Flamechar gasped, looking at the three. "That's…"

"Yep," Snubble nodded happily.

"That's who?" Krista asked, confusedly.

"That's team ACT!" Flamechar exclaimed. "They're only the best rescue team around, and my heroes! Alakazam there's the leader, and he's _amazingly_ smart! His IQ is around 5,000! The three together are a Gold Rank rescue team! I hope some day we're as good as them!"

"That's neat," Krista beamed. She doubted that Flamechar and she would ever rise to be that great, but who knew…

Suddenly, she saw that Tyranitar nudged Alakazam, pointing at the three Poke'mon who were admiring them from afar. He beckoned to his partners, and the three started walking towards them.

"Oh my gosh…" Flamechar gasped. "They're coming over here! Do you think they'll talk to us?"

"Maybe," Krista shrugged, grinning at Flamechar's obvious fandom to the rescue team.

"Hello there, young Flamechar, and Snubble." Alakazam greeted as they arrived in front of Flamechar, Krista, and Snubble. "Who's your new friend? I have never seen her around here before."

"Her name is K-Krista…" Flamechar stuttered, looking somewhat embarrassed to be speaking to his idol. "She's not from around here…"

"I can see that." Alakazam commented. He gazed at Krista, and when she firmly locked eyes with him, she felt a shudder inside her. It seemed like the Gold Rank rescuer was looking right through to her thoughts. _Can he read minds, or something?_ Krista thought nervously. She wasn't sure what would happen if anyone else found out that she was a human, though they might not believe it anyways, but she didn't really want that little secret to become public.

Alakazam suddenly spoke again. "So, what are you three up to?"

"I'm just gossiping as usual," Snubble shrugged. "These two though are doing something rather exciting, by the sounds of it."

"We've formed a rescue team!" Flamechar proclaimed proudly.

"Very good," Charizard growled. "Hopefully by the time you're a big 'ol Charizard like me, you'll be Gold Rank, too."

"You think so?" Flamechar was beaming at the encouragement. _Still, these guys seem pretty cool. _Krista concluded.

"Of course," Tyranitar growled. "All you need to do is keep at your jobs and work hard."

"Cool!"

"Well, we need to be going now," Alakazam said. "We've got a big job up ahead, and we need to be prepared."

"Yeah, that Dragon Hill can be pretty nasty…" Tyranitar rumbled. "Let's go, Alakazam, Charizard."

The trio gave a nod to Krista, Flamechar, and Snubble, and then they went back to their original spot. However, Alakazam was still gazing at Krista with those piercing eyes, and was muttering something to Tyranitar and Charizard with his brow furrowed.

"Well, I need to be going now." Snubble broke the silence and snapped Krista back to the current situation. "See you two, and good luck, I suppose."

"Thanks, Snubble." Flamechar replied. "Come on Krista, let's keep looking around."

The two kept going forward, and Flamechar stopped them at a structure with no front wall, whose inside was stacked full of sacks of Poke'. It had a Persian sitting outside of it. "This is Felicity Bank." Flamechar told Krista. "We can store any Poke' that we have here and retrieve it when we want. It's free of charge, too, so it's highly useful, since if we fail in a Mystery Dungeon we generally lose all of our cash that isn't stored here."

"That's right," the catlike Poke'mon purred. "I'll guard your riches with my life… or my claws, anyways. You want to open up an account?"

"Let's do that, Persian." Flamechar replied.

"Very well. Any Poke' you want to deposit?" Persian asked after scribbling a few things down on some parchment (he was very dexterous with that pen considering he held it in his mouth.).

"No thanks," Krista replied, figuring she shouldn't let Flamechar do all of the talking if she was going to be team leader. She needed to be able to think about this for herself sometimes too. "Maybe later we will."

"Okay then." Persian nodded, and stalked off to organize a few of the sacks of money.

"Only a few more spots to go," Flamechar said, and led her to a building that looked like a large Kangaskhan. The Poke'mon herself was sitting behind the counter.

"Welcome to Kangaskhan Storage, dears." she beamed. "How can I help you two?"

"Nothing right now, Kangaskhan," Flamechar replied. "I'm just giving my new friend Krista here the grand tour."

"Hello, sweetie," Kangaskhan greeted Krista. "You're new around here, eh? Well, I'm Kangaskhan, and I run this storage. Rescue teams store any important items that they don't want to take with them on a mission with me."

"We've just formed one ourselves!" Flamechar informed her. "Though we have nothing we want to store quite yet."

"Sure, sweetie. Just come back when you're going to store something!"

"Only one more building," Flamechar said. He took her down to a place that was shaped like a Gulpin. _Evidently making buildings to like a bust of yourself is popular here…_ she thought with a grin.

"And here's the Gulpin Link Shop!" Flamechar announced. What else but a Gulpin was perched behind the counter (on a tall stool to raise it up high enough).

"This is the Gulpin Link Shop," he rumbled. "We can let you link moves together or remember old moves for only a miniscule fee."

"No moves today, Gulpin," Flamechar told him. "Just showing Krista here around."

"Sure…"

Krista had the impression that Gulpin was a bit slow, but it didn't matter. "Is that it?" she asked.

"Yeah," Flamechar replied. "Let's head to the Pelipper Post Office!"


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four: (STUCK) Together Forever?

Flamechar ended up taking Krista down the path that led straight forward from across the bridge they had entered the Square from. He led her straight forward, and soon a large building (which looked like a Pelipper, as Krista had begun to suspect… and she didn't even need to be told who worked there.) came into view. It was much huger than any of the shops they had visited so far.

"That's the place," Flamechar told her. "It's a very important destination for any rescue team! The Pelipper Post Office delivers all help requests that are meant for us straight to the mailbox at our base. There is also a bulletin board where you can take up jobs meant for anyone."

Once they reached the entrance to the building, Flamechar took Krista inside. It was a room dimly lit by windows that were set high up, with a large counter running from wall to wall at the far end. Two Pelippers were sitting behind them in small nests, and there was some mail sitting on the counter being sorted.

"The one on the left there takes all outgoing mail." Flamechar explained. "The one on the right there will give you any delivered mail if you come here and ask for it, but usually everything gets taken to your mailbox too quickly to make asking necessary. That one," he said, pointing to a third Pelipper, who was sitting in a nest on an eye-level perch, which was by the rightmost wall, "will give you any help you need regarding mail and rescue requests."

"Can I deliver it?" Krista asked Flamechar, holding her hand out for the letter they were working on mailing to the RSA.

"Sure," Flamechar replied, smiling, and passed her the envelope containing their reply concerning their team's name.

Krista walked up to the Pelipper on the left. "Hi," she greeted. "I'd like to mail this letter, please."

"Very well, then," the Pelipper replied. "I'll just take that," it continued, taking the letter, "and I'll see to it that it's delivered without fail."

"Thank you!" Krista was pleased that things were so prompt with the delivery.

"You're very welcome, ma'am." The Pelipper smiled, and then went back to his work.

Krista returned to Flamechar, who was waiting for her eagerly. "You done?" he asked.

"Yep," she told him. "What should we do now?"

"Well," Flamechar began, "We _could_ look at the bulletin board to see if anyone wants rescuing."

"Sure!" Krista thought this was a good idea, so the two walked out of the post office, and in front of the board.

They only found disappointment there, however. "Awww…" Krista and Flamechar simultaneously groaned. The bulletin board was completely empty of any requests.

"That stinks…" Flamechar sighed. "But it can't be helped. Why don't we just go turn in for the day, and maybe we'll get something tomorrow."

"Okay…" Krista replied. "Let's go…"

********************

Krista stepped out of the team base, yawning. It was the morning after the trip to the Pelipper Post Office. The remainder of the day had been spent idly meandering around Poke'mon Square and lounging around in the base. No mail had been delivered all day, so there had been nothing to do. The only thing that seemed quite good about yesterday had been the fact that no more dreams had come to make Krista restless, so she got a very good rest.

"Hey, Krista!" Flamechar came barreling out from the left path that led to wherever it was that he slept. He was carrying the item bag that they had received yesterday over his shoulder. "Sleep well?"

"Yes, actually," Krista replied. "Better than yesterday, anyways."

"That's good." Flamechar looked rather fidgety. "I wonder if we received any mail this morning."

"I don't know. Why don't we check?"

The two walked up to the mailbox, and opened it up. "Yes!"

A small envelope was inside the metal box, along with a small, rolled-up newspaper. "That's the Poke'mon Times. It's supposed to be a handy thing for rescue teams, so let's read it and then save it in case we need it. I had forgotten that they were going to start printing it today!"

"That's convenient. Okay, we'll save it." Krista agreed. She pulled the paper out, and unrolled it. It had a headline reading:

Poke'mon Times: Issue #1

Hello! This is your first issue of the "Poke'mon Times"! We hope that this free subscription will provide useful tips for rescue teams, whether new recruits to the cause, or veterans of the cause!

**Items and Poke':**

Whenever you go into a mystery dungeon, there's one thing that you'll almost always find: Items and Poke'. Both of these are very important for rescue teams.

Items of any sort can almost always be used to help benefit the cause of your team's mission. Be sure to use them wisely, though, since you can only hold a certain amount in your item bag before you run out of room! However, be sure to also remember that you can use an extra "slot" by holding one of the items yourself! When you _are_ all full, however, you'll have to decide what to keep and what to discard if you find something you want to pick up, so choose well what is most important. Also keep in mind that if you fail in a dungeon, not only will you have to start over, but you will lose half of all the items you were carrying, so be sure to store any unnecessary things in Kangaskhan Storage, since it is easy and free!

Poke' is also essential. As you surely would know, Poke' is our currency, and it can be used to buy many useful items as an alternative to finding them in a dungeon, which is needed quite often because you will never know what you will find in the ever-shifting mystery dungeons! Luckily, there are many ways to receive Poke': First of all, you can be rewarded with money by a client if you complete a mission quite a lot of the time. Second of all, you can sell any unneeded items for cash, and this could either be very effective or very wasteful depending on what you are selling. Third and last, you can find plenty of Poke' inside mystery dungeons! Sometimes, it just appears in thin air, or is dropped by any baddies hanging around! Be careful with Poke', though: If you fail in a dungeon, you lose all of the Poke' that you had with you, so only take what is absolutely needed (since the Kecleon Brothers have opened a few chain shops in the dungeons, you may want to take some money.). Any extra that you have should be stored in the Persian bank, since it is also convenient and easy, and it is absolutely free to open up an account!

With all of this in mind, you should know how to handle items and Poke' in general. However, remember that individual items each have their own uses, so be sure to experiment when you can afford to! And remember, "Keep exploring"!

Krista and Flamechar rolled the newspaper back up once they had finished. "Actually, there's a nice bin right on this mailbox," Krista said. "We could put the issues there."

"That sounds good to me! I bet that's what it's for in the first place." Flamechar replied. "This issue wasn't exactly all new information, but it's still a good reminder that we need to be careful and conservative with our supplies!"

"Now, let's open that letter!" Krista had exclaimed when she had dropped the paper in the bin. "I'm assuming that this _is_ a call for help, right?"

"Yes, it looks like it!" Flamechar suddenly looked serious. "We'd better hurry up and open it, then! Who knows, it could be urgent!"

Krista pulled the envelope out, and slit open its top with one of her claws. Shaking the paper inside out, she read

_"Bzzbzzbzzt! Please help us! We and two of our friends were exploring in Thunderwave Cave, and our friends suddenly were pulled together by some kind of magnetic field! Two Magnemites isn't enough to make a Magneton, and we can't pull them apart! Can you come and please pull them apart right away? We will reward you well!_

_The Magnemite Twins_

"That sounds like quite a pickle that they're in!" Flamechar looked quite worried when he finished reading. "Let's hurry up to the Kecleon Brothers' shop and grab some supplies, and then we'll set off! I know where Thunderwave Cave is, so it shouldn't be a problem getting there!"

Slipping the letter inside their item bag, they ran off the road to the right, crossing the bridge and jogging all of the way to the shop, with Krista in the lead.

"How may we help you, Krista, Flamechar?" the green Kecleon asked when they arrived at the Kecleon Shop, huffing and gasping for air.

"W-what do you have today?" Flamechar asked, still wheezing a bit. "We h-have lots of Poke'!"

"Well, may we interest you in any berries or seeds? I picked up quite a few for today, and the price isn't half bad."

"Knowing what I've heard about you, I'd say they aren't cheap, that means." The Charmander had finally regained his breath, and had his eyes narrowed ever so slightly with a bit of humor gleaming in them. "But what do you have?"

"Can I interest you two in a Reviver Seed?" Keck held up a small seed, slightly bigger than that of a sunflower. "It's very _fairly_ priced at only 800 Poke'." He added this with a rather dry voice.

"800 Poke' for that little thing?" Krista whispered to Flamechar. "That seems like a rip-off."

"What are you talking about?" Flamechar replied under his breath with a surprised tone. "Reviver Seeds are valuable! If you faint in a dungeon, eating that will make you come to faster than you can say 'help'!"

"He's right," Leon quipped. "And that's why its price is so high for a seed."

"Shut up!" Keck snapped. "It's for sale for a very low, very cheap price tag. Your stuff isn't exactly inexpensive itself, you know!"

"It is too! These Orbs and TMs are _very _rare! I worked my tail off finding them!"

"No they're not! Team Forest sold us _ten_ of those stupid Drought Orbs just yesterday for only a fraction of your offer!"

"Can you just tell us what else you have for sale, PLEASE?" Krista interrupted.

The two brothers froze, and then turned back to their customers with (anime style!) beads of sweat on their faces. "Yes… sorry!" Keck laughed nervously. "But my prices _are_ better, you kn-"

"Don't even start that…" Leon growled. "Now, how would you like this lovely Escape Orb? It'll let you warp right out of a dungeon no problem if you're in trouble, and you won't lose a single item besides this. Only 500 Poke' for one, and if you buy two it's 900, a bargain!"

"No thanks," Flamechar replied. "We only have 1000 Poke' to spend right now, so at the moment I don't think we want to spending half of it on that. What do you have that's really cheap?"

"Well…" Keck looked thoughtful for a moment. "What about a few Gravelerocks? It's only 10 Poke' each. Tossing them can do some nice damage, so they're good for a pinch."

"That sounds good!" Krista said. "We'll take 50!"

"50!" Leon echoed. "Will you have enough room for that?"

"This bag has a pouch for Gravelerocks that will give us the space." Flamechar replied.

"O-kay, that'll be 500 Poke' then!" Keck sang as he held out his hand for the payment. Flamechar rummaged around in the Item Bag, and then pulled out several small coins. Keck took them, counted them up while muttering under his breath, and then pulled out a sack full of small, yet heavy enough to do some damage, stones.

Flamechar took the sack, and placed it inside the bag. "Also, do you have any travel food here?" he asked.

"We have apples," Leon replied. "Easy to carry, and they'll ease your hunger for quite awhile. 25 Poke' per fruit!"

"Can we have four?"

"Sure. You two are really cleaning us out, here!"

Flamechar took the food and paid, then turning to Krista. "Anything else you can think of that we might need? We have healing supplies, since a few of those berries that we received from Butterfree were Oran berries, and the rest were Pecha, so health and poisoning shouldn't be an issue."

"Do you have any Max Elixirs? They're quite necessary to keep your strength up so you can effectively use all of your attacks whenever you need them!" Leon told him.

"How much?"

"600 Poke' per bottle, but it's worth it!" Keck said.

"Uh…" Krista calculated the amount of Poke' they had left in her head. "We don't have enough left. Sorry!"

"I wouldn't want to waste the money anyways, Krista. Thunderwave Cave isn't that big, actually. Also, we might actually know the location of our client this time, so we won't be wandering as much as last time, if we're lucky." Flamechar added.

Keck looked downtrodden at the fact that his customers were turning down his "bargain" of a product, but he didn't pester the two over it.

"Should we go drop the rest of this off at the bank?" Krista asked. "We should probably leave after that."

"Speaking of which," Flamechar suddenly gasped. "We need to move! Our clients are waiting for us! Let's go, Krista!"

Krista nodded, and her partner and she took off running down towards the Square. "Thank you!" she called over her back at the Kecleon brothers.

"You're very welcome!" Keck called.

"Come again!" his brother added.

When the team reached the bank, Flamechar pulled the last of the Poke' out of the bag, and dropped it on the counter. "W-we'd li-like to deposit this." he panted.

"Very well," Persian replied with an amused purr, picking up a small sack in his teeth, and sweeping the coins into it with his tail. "It's safe with me."

After a few minutes, Krista and Flamechar were back at the intersection by their team base. "Which way do we go?" Krista asked.

"Down that way!" Flamechar answered, indicating the path that was straight across the four-way road from the base. "This is it, I suppose."

"This is what?" Krista was somewhat puzzled.

"Our first mission together as an official rescue team!"

"Oh…" Krista smiled. _Flamechar certainly is an eager one, I'll give him that._ She was really beginning to grow fond of the Charmander, however odd he had seemed when they had first met the day before. He was her only true friend, here too, after all. _No, that's not right. I'm forgetting Caterpie. The way he looked at us, I'm sure that we're friends…_

"What's wrong?" Flamechar asked at the trailing tone in her voice when she had replied.

"Nothing, baka." Krista replied. _Hey… there's another thing I can remember about my old self. I was _obsessed_ with anime, manga, and was basically an otaku in that sense. I also knew a bit of Japanese, even past the "overused manga fangirl/boy" stuff._

"Uh… baka?" Flamechar looked confused. "What's a baka?"

Krista laughed. "Back when I was a human, it was a word that meant idiot, or stupid, or fool, or something of that sort. It's just teasing."

"Okay?"

"Come on, let's go! You were so impatient just a few moments ago!"

"Eh? Oh, right, the mission!" It seemed that Flamechar was still a bit… aloof, though. But it was no matter, since it was generally amusing. "Come on, this way!"

Flamechar set off down the path, leading the way. Krista followed, trailing behind ever so slightly but still keeping up enough to see where they were going.

********************

Finally, the pair reached the mouth of a large cave. The stone was pale tan, and you could see quite well inside, by the looks of things.

"This is the place, I think." Flamechar remarked. "It doesn't seem too bad."

Krista was about to agree, but she was interrupted by a robotic voice.

"BZZBZZBZZT! NO, YOU ARE WRONG. THIS CAVE IS BAD FOR MAGNAMITES, BZZT!" A pair of Poke'mon that looked like floating, double-sided horseshoe magnets approached them. "YOU ARE KRISTA AND FLAMECHAR, CORRECT, BZZT?" one of them asked.

"Yeah," Flamechar replied. "We're team Nightstar, and we're here to help your friends!"

"Where are the other Magnemites at?" Krista asked.

"THEY ARE INSIDE THE CAVE, BZZBZZBZZT, AND TOO FAR IN FOR US TO GO, BZZT. WE WOULD BECOME STUCK TOO, BZZBZZT, BECAUSE THERE IS A MAGNETIC FIELD THAT STICKS US TOGETHER!"

"Don't worry," Flamechar assured the two Magnemites. "We'll get them out and separate the two. You guys just wait here, okay?"

"VERY WELL, BZZT. WE WILL STAY OUTSIDE IN THIS VERY SPOT. PLEASE HURRY!" the Magnemites replied.

Krista nodded at the clients, and tentatively stepped inside the cave. Flamechar gave a little salute to them, and followed.

********************

The cave was bright in its interior as Krista had suspected. This would have been convenient, but it didn't matter too much, since Flamechar's tail would have provided light enough. How this cave sustained the light was beyond her, but then again, it was a "mystery dungeon", so perhaps the oddity of them was beyond their ever-shifting tunnels and areas.

"So, why do they call it 'Thunderwave Cave?'?" Krista asked once they had been inside the cave for a few minutes.

"Well, the 'cave' part is obvious," Flamechar replied, "and the reason they call it Thunderwave is- OUCH!"

Flamechar began shivering violently. "Something zapped me…" he growled, looking around. Then, he saw the source of the charge.

A yellow Poke'mon with long, black tipped ears, red cheeks, and a lighting-bolt shaped tail was standing up on a ledge several yards above them. It glared at the rescue team, the cheeks sparking as if ready to deliver another jolt if necessary.

"What are you doing in my territory?" he asked angrily. "What business do you have here?"

"It's a Pikachu!" Krista whispered, stepping up towards the Poke'mon. "We're a rescue team!" she called up. "We're not trying to intrude! We're just here to retrieve someone who's gotten lost!"

Pikachu still looked suspicious, and he had a wild, outlandish glint to his eyes.. "A likely story," he growled.

"What would we be coming here to do otherwise?" Flamechar retaliated.

"How do I know you're not here to steal my berry stash?" the Pikachu hissed.

"Berry stash?" Flamechar echoed confusedly. "What do you mean, steal your berry stash? We didn't even know one was here!"

"You were headed right for it!" the Pikachu cried angrily. He pointed one of his small fingers to a little crevice in the wall.

"Please, just believe us! We didn't even know that was there." Krista sighed. "We mean you no ill."

Pikachu turned his gaze back to her. His cheeks were now sparking dangerously, and he bared his teeth. "Maybe you'll tell the truth and leave me alone if you get a taste of this!" he growled, and he let loose a line of electricity straight towards Krista!

"Look out!" yelled Flamechar, running towards his partner.

Krista's eyes widened and she crossed her arms in front of her face, bracing herself for the shock… But nothing happened. The electricity was coursing all around her, but she wasn't being shocked…

"Huh?" Flamechar stopped in his tracks.

"Wait…" Krista muttered. "I'm a Cubone, and Cubones' aren't affected by electricity!"

Pikachu looked nervous for a moment, but then his anger came back. "Then I'll just zap the other one!" He fired another jolt towards Flamechar, but it suddenly turned in its path, going towards Krista instead.

"_And_ electricity is attracted towards us as well!" Krista smirked. "Just give up."

Pikachu tried to keep up the tough act, but then slumped over in defeat. "Please, just don't take my food…" he whimpered quietly. It seemed as if the fight had flown right out of him. "That stash is all I have to eat…"

"We told you," Flamechar replied in a gentle voice, though there was a surprised inflection at the quick change in the Pikachu's attitude. "We're not here to steal from you, just to help a fellow Poke'mon."

Pikachu looked down at the two, and then slowly he nodded. "I'm sorry…" he sighed. "I've just been so _hungry_ lately, and I barely have any food. This dungeon doesn't have too much growing in it, so…"

"So you're overprotective with what you can find." Krista finished.

"Yeah…"

Krista looked at Flamechar. "We have to help him, at least a bit." she whispered. She felt bad for the Pikachu, and could understand why he was guarding his stash of food so viciously.

Flamechar reached into the item bag, and pulled out a huge apple, one that he had brought from the base. He showed it to the Pikachu. "Here."

Pikachu saw the apple, and his eyes lit up with delight. Leaping down from the ledge and landing on his feet easily, he scampered towards the pair and took the apple. "Thank you!" he cried. "This means _so_ much! It'll keep me going for awhile!"

"No problem," Flamechar replied. He looked pleased that Pikachu was so happy. "I'm Flamechar, and this is Krista, our team leader. We're team Nightstar, at your service!"

Pikachu smiled. "I'm Sorrek. Nice to meet you, Krista, Flamechar."

"Nice to meet you too, Sorrek!" Flamechar replied. Then, his face turned more serious. "Have you by chance seen a pair of Magnemite wander in here?" he asked the Pikachu, who was busy munching on a bit of the fruit. "Two that were stuck together, by chance?"

Sorrek looked thoughtful as he chewed. He swallowed, and then said "Two Magnemites that were stuck together? I think so!"

Krista and Flamechar exclaimed a glance, grinning to each other. "Where did you see them?" Krista pressed the mouse Poke'mon.

"How about I just take you there?"

"That sounds great!" Flamechar replied. "Lead the way!"

********************

Sorrek ended up leading them through the cavern until they reached a dead end.

"Where do we go now?" Flamechar asked, scanning the cave for any other paths. He couldn't seem to find any.

"Um…" Sorrek faltered, also looking about the area. "They were here just a little while ago."

Krista closed her eyes, and then they snapped open. "I think I hear a buzzing noise!" she told the other two.

"Where's it coming from?" asked Flamechar, who furrowed his brow.

"I'm not sure…" Krista looked to her sides, and then slowly, she looked up. "Up there!"

Two Magnemites were stuck to the ceiling wedged between a few crevices in the rock, buzzing faintly.

"Hello?" Flamechar called. "Are you two okay?"

The pair of electric Poke'mon each opened their single eye. "BZZT, HAVE YOU COME HERE TO HELP US?" one said,

"Yes, we have!" Krista replied. "Can you come down?"

"DOWN? WE CANNOT 'COME DOWN'. WE ARE STUCK, BZZBZZT!" the other told them.

"How did you get up there, anyways?"

"WE WANDERED UP ABOVE THIS ROCK, AND A POKE'MON HIT US. WE FELL, AND HERE WE ARE, UNABLE TO MOVE, BZZT"

"What'll we do?" Krista asked Flamechar. "Neither of us can reach them, and I don't want to use my bone for fear that I'll hurt them!"

Sorrek laughed. "What do you mean, 'what'll we do'? Watch this!"

Clambering nimbly up the small bits of rock jutting out from the wall of the cave, the mouse Poke'mon climbed higher, until he reached a high part. Then, after a moment of pinpointing his aim, he leapt out and grabbed hold of the pair of Magnemites. "Come on…" he grunted, swinging back and forth to attempt to dislodge them.

"What are you doing?" Flamechar called as Pikachu had jumped. Seeing what he was trying to do, he watched, but then he turned to Krista. "He's not heavy enough!" he said. "He'll fall! What were you thinking, Sorrek?"

"I was _thinking_ that I could get these two metal-heads down!"

Krista sighed, and with a sudden inspiration, began climbing unsteadily up the same ledges that Sorrek had used to gain height.

"What are you doing?" Flamechar asked in an exasperated voice, seeing Krista leaping from rock to rock.

"Helping," she replied simply. When she reached the same ledge that Pikachu had at the top, she looked at Sorrek. "Hold on!" she yelled, and jumped forward, grabbing onto Sorrek's leg.

Sorrek yelped, his grip slipping, but he managed to keep his hold. "What's the big idea?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"I'm trying to get them down!" Krista replied. Her added weight didn't seem to be dislodging the Magnemites either. _What'll we do now?_ she thought. She herself had a hard time keeping her hands around the Pikachu since she was holding her bone in one. Figuring it was better to keep her grip, she wedged it between the skull on her head and her face. It obscured her vision a bit, and was uncomfortable, but it worked.

"Look out!" Flamechar's voice called.

Krista felt a sudden, heavy weight on her leg. She was quite glad, now, that she had freed up her other hand. Sorrek groaned as he struggled to keep his paws clenched onto the Magnemites. Flamechar was hanging down below them, grimacing. "Now _I'm_ the one helping…" he grunted, though he realized that he was making it nigh impossible for Sorrek to keep hold.

"I don't know what'll happen if we manage to get them out now," the Pikachu said in a strained voice. "It would have been fine with just me, but…"

"BZZBZZBZZT! THIS-HURTS!" one of the Magnemites complained.

"We're trying to get you out!" Sorrek retaliated.

Krista suddenly had one more desperate idea. Gasping at the strength it required, she began trying to pull up further on Sorrek towards the Magnemites until she could reach one. "Grab onto Sorrek!" she told Flamechar, who, despite the confused look on his face, obeyed. Krista then grabbed a hold of one of the Magnemites.

Sorrek sighed with relief at the lessened weight, since now only Flamechar was hanging on. Krista pulled out the bone she had been stowing, and carefully wedged it inside a slight opening in-between the Magnemites and the rock. It was difficult to manage, but by wiggling it back and forth, she managed to loose a bit of the rock. _It's working!_ she thought excitedly.

"Keep hanging!" Krista called down to the other two Poke'mon that were attempting to pull down the Magnemites. Carefully, she worked at a bit of the rock that was holding the stuck Poke'mon in place. Finally, as a last bit of rock fell, she heard a crack as the weight of the three holding the Magnemites managed to crack the remaining rock.

"_HOLD ON!"_ Krista yelled, eyes shut, as all five Poke'mon plunged down to the ground.

"DON'T WORRY, BZZT!" both of the Magnemites replied. At first, this seemed like mere reassurance, but soon the three found out what they were saying

They were about to hit, when suddenly the falling slowed. Krista dared to open one eye. The two Magnemites had levitated, stopping the descent almost completely. Surprised, the three Poke'mon hanging on released their grip, dropping the rest of the short way to the ground.

"Whew… that was close." Flamechar panted. "You two sure were stuck in there well!"

"THANK YOU FOR PULLING US OUT, BZZT."

"No, thank you." Sorrek was shaking a bit from the fright, but was quickly steadying up. "I think you saved our hide there."

"CAN YOU PULL US APART?" the two Electric-and-Steel Poke'mon asked. Even after all they had been through, they were still together as if firmly glued in place.

Krista and Flamechar both took hold of a Magnemite each, and tugged as hard as they could. Nothing happened.

"Why did you two get like this again?" Krista asked.

"Remember?" Flamechar suddenly looked enlightened. "The two outside said it was a magnetic field! Suppose we took them back outside…"

"…and they could pull apart?" Krista finished, beginning to think as well that this would be their solution.

"Yeah!"

Krista turned to the pair of Magnemites. "Can you keep up, or do you need help?"

"WE'LL FLOAT, THANK YOU."

Then, Krista and Flamechar asked Pikachu, "Will you come with?"

"Sure!" Pikachu replied. "I'll tag along!"

********************

"THANK YOU, BZZT!" all four Magnemites buzzed happily. The Magnemites had been able to separate as soon as they had passed through the entrance of the cave.

"No problem," Flamechar replied. "I suppose that cave's gotten a bit strange given the recent events. Maybe that's why you got stuck."

Sorrek nodded. "Thinks have been kind of out of whack in there for awhile. It's been rough living inside there lately, at least for me."

The Magnemites gave their last thanks, handed over a few coins and a Reviver Seed (Flamechar was delighted with this), and took off for wherever they decided to go.

"I suppose we should leave now," Krista said. Flamechar nodded.

"Well, bye guys…" Sorrek sighed. "It was fun helping you two out, I can admit. I hope I see you again!"

Flamechar nodded, though Krista kept her gaze on the yellow Poke'mon as he turned around and began walking back into the cave, with a slightly sad look to him. She looked thoughtful, and then whispered something to Flamechar. Flamechar nodded and smiled.

"Hey, Sorrek…" Krista called. The Pikachu turned around.

"Yes?"

"We were wondering… would you like to join the team?"

Sorrek looked quite surprised, and said nothing for a moment. Then, his face broke out in a grin.

"I'd love to!" he replied joyfully. "It would be way more fun than hiding in this cave and scrapping with others for food!"

Flamechar's smile was suddenly dropped. "Wait a minute…" he breathed.

"What?" Krista and Sorrek asked simultaneously.

"We don't have a friend area for him…" the Charmander sighed. "He won't have anywhere to stay…"

"Friend area?" Krista was baffled.

"A friend area is the place where most Poke'mon on the rescue team stay. I stay in one, for example. It feels like the perfect home, you see, for a Poke'mon like me, but many are different."

"Well, how do we get friend areas?" Sorrek asked. He looked nervous, as if his hope of joining the team was about to be permanently crushed.

"I think you buy them. Actually, there's a shop opening in the next day or two… tomorrow, even, I think… that sells friend areas to rescue teams. The problem is that we might not have the money to get the one that we need…"

"Why don't we go look at it in the morning?" Krista asked. "Maybe we _will_ have enough Poke'. We just earned some from this job, remember?"

"Well, if we total it up with what we have in the bank, we have…" Flamechar added the sums in his head. "We have 1,100 Poke'. That might be enough to get it, though I've heard that some of these can be pretty expensive, so I don't know."

"Well, we have to try, don't we?" Krista said this in a matter-of-fact end-of-conversation way. Sorrek nodded, relieved that there was a good chance that he could join team Nightstar after all.

Flamechar's determined smile returned, and he gave a confident nod. "Let's head home, then, and tomorrow we'll go to Poke'mon Square!"

"I've never been there!" Sorrek look interested. "Is it big?"

"Sort of," Flamechar replied. "But you'll see. Come on, it's getting dark."

"Where will I stay tonight?"

"He can stay in the base, of course!" Krista told him. "It may not necessarily be to your liking aesthetically, but it'll do."

"Okay!" Sorrek yawned. "I agree. Let's go!"


End file.
